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लेकिन ख़रीद हो जो अलीगढ़ के भाव से
---अकबर इलाहाबादी
Syed Ahmed Khan's mind was greatly influenced by Western knowledge and he considered this knowledge to be the basis of all real progress. At the same time Syed Ahmed Khan also clearly understood that he could not give up the fundamentalist Muslim religious philosophy because the Muslim people would never accept such a person as a leader unless his views were purely based on religion. Loyalty to the rulers seems to have been in Syed Ahmed's blood. During the rebellion of 1857, he gave special evidence of his loyalty to his European masters. Syed Ahmed Khan went to England in 1869, where he met Queen Victoria. When he returned to India, he had decided that he would try for the revival of Indian Muslims.
Aligarh Movement
On his return from England in 1870, Syed Ahmed Khan made a definite plan for the revival of Indian Muslims, which is often named the Aligarh Movement. Its main objective was to modernize the Indian Muslims. His aim was also that Muslims as a society should also play a prominent role in the religious, political, economic and cultural life of India as their forefathers used to do in the past. To put this objective into practice, his plan was to impart knowledge of Western education and civilization and to study Muslim religion, philosophy, history and culture. Government patronage could prove to be very helpful for the fulfillment of this purpose and that is why they laid great emphasis on the loyalty towards the English administrators.
Educational aspect of the movement
College in Aligarh
After much deliberation, it was planned to open a 'Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College' for Muslim boys. Aligarh was chosen as the site for the institution because it was named 'Ali Ka Garh' and because it was in the middle of the Urdu-speaking region and the surrounding districts were inhabited by a large number of Muslims. Apart from this, it was also expected that the people of the surrounding Muslim elite would help generously.
Aligarh College was the center of education only for the Muslim elite and not for the general public. The education given here was different from that which was available in other places. The aim of the college was not to produce scholars and bookworms who were devoted only to knowledge and therefore taking the examination was a matter of secondary importance as the first principal Mr. Back said, "Passing the examination is not the main object of your education, consider it necessary but an unpleasant necessity".
Objective
1. Preparing useful subjects for the British
In May 1875, the 'Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College' was started as a primary school. In the same year, a training center was also opened for the competition of the Indian civil Service. The formal foundation stone ceremony of this college was done by Lord Lytton on January 8, 1877. The President of the College Committee, in his welcome address to Lord Lytton, spoke of the boon of British rule in India and drew attention to such an educational system as could make Muslims useful subjects of the British.
2. To create future leaders for Muslim society
The aim of the Aligarh College was to produce future leaders of the Muslim community. The aim of the college was to create a sense of unity among the Muslim youth and to awaken them to their historical role in this country. Its students were expected to acquire new ideas and then spread these new ideas among the Muslim masses through education.
3. Building Muslim identity and brotherhood
The students of Aligarh College were expected to generate a special feeling of brotherhood, and the students of Aligarh generated certain elements and any casual observer could distinguish these students from other students because These people could be separated from everyone by their special dress, manners and language.
Political aspect of the movement
1. The focal point of a political movement
Although it was an educational institution, political questions were foremost in Syed Ahmed's mind. The Aligarh College soon became the focal point of a new political movement among the Muslims. Even Lord Curzon congratulated Syed Ahmed for his political farsightedness because according to Curzon it was through education that Muslims would be able to acquire the weapons that would “help them to recover a part of their lost sovereignty in India”.
2. Erasing the black spot of treason
Syed Ahmed's aim was to remove the black spot of 1857 sedition on the Muslims. The continuous efforts made by Sanyad Ahmed resulted in a visible change in the attitude of the British. This is clearly seen in W. W. Hunter's famous book 'Indian Muslmans' which was published in 1876 because it adopted a sympathetic policy towards the loyalty of Muslims.
3. Taking the side of the British
Syed Ahmad supported the British side in the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), the Anglo-Afghan War (1878–80), the Anglo-Egyptian War (1882) and the Mahdi's rebellion in Sudan. His efforts were successful and he converted the Muslims into true loyalists of the British. Government response to this was also very good. It was often understood that the person of Aligarh was a confidant of the British.
4. Separatism and Muslim communalism
These words of Syed Ahmed are often quoted. "The Hindu and the Muslim are two beautiful eyes of one bride, that is India." Expressing his opinion on words like these, M.S. Jain comments: "Sir Syed's talk of Hindu-Muslim unity has been talked about by selfish parties for generations." Moni Shakir, on the other hand, says that due to the Hindi-Urdu conflict which started in 1867, his views changed and he turned towards communalism. Mr. M. S. Jain, who has made a special study of the Aligarh movement, believes that It was a separatist movement from the very beginning, demanding a separate status for Indian Muslims, different from that of Hindus.
5. Opposition to Congress
Syed Ahmed Khan and the Aligarh Movement showed a distinct hostility towards the Indian National Congress and its objectives from the very beginning. Syed Ahmed said that India is not a nation, nor is the Congress 'national' and said that it is working against the Muslim community in particular, and against the interests of India in general. He said that Congress is a Hindu institution, created by Hindus and whose objective is to promote the interests of Hindu society at the cost of the interests of Muslims. According to Syed Ahmed, in fact "Congress is an unarmed civil war". He formed the United Patriotic Association in 1888.
Impact of Aligarh Movement on Indian Politics
According to R. Symonds, the Aligarh movement was based on four basic elements:
1. Hindus and Muslims are two separate political entities.
2. Establishment of representative institutions based on the rules of democracy will harm Muslims.
3. It is in the interest of the Muslims that the British rule should remain in India.
4. Muslims should stay away from politics except when it is necessary to deny the mischief caused by the movement of Hindus.
According to K M Panikkar, Syed Ahmed and Aligarh movement increased the importance and influence of Muslims. Mr. M. S. Jain goes a step further and says that Syed Ahmed united the Muslims into a single nation on the basis of religion and gave them a separate ideology and that the students of Aligarh played a reactionary and anti-national role in India's freedom struggle. One may or may not agree with these exaggerations, but it is true that the Aligarh movement became the forerunner of the Muslim movement in every nook and corner of India and it encouraged separatist forces in Indian politics.
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